I clicked the link and was unimpressed.
When I explained to my friend that I generally only eat foods that ADD to my diet, and went on to explain what I meant, he accused me of being a Food Nazi. Since he's German, I guess he'd know. But I wasn't offended by the term.
While their methods were crap - the Nazis sought a pure race (a stupid goal). Well, I find myself drawn, more and more, to pure foods (a great goal). While I prefer to stop the metaphor there, I'm okay with the title.
There was a time, not too long ago and at the beginning of this endeavor, when I would have jumped at the chance for tasty baked chips. It was a way of sticking to what I considered normal snack foods - but a "healthy" alternative.
But just what is healthy about it? What does it add nutritionally to a diet? Vitamins? Calcium? Fiber? No. No. No. It just adds empty calories. And I am not a fan of wasting my calories.
Living with 1300 calories a day takes a lot of nutritional thought. About two months ago I shifted some focus to tracking how many servings of fruits and veggies I consume in a day. Enter what I call Nutritional Multi-tasking.
Craving a crunchy snack? I grab carrots. They are satisfyingly crisp AND a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine. Can we say that about Baked Lays? I haven't researched it, but I'm guessing "No." Not only am I satisfying my crunch crave, but I'm adding to my servings of vegetables for the day. Nutritional Multi-tasking. 30 baby carrots are 100 calories. Check that against the serving size of Baked Lays. 
Craving something sweet? How about watermelon? The health benefits of watermelon include preventing kidney disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart care, heat stroke, macular degeneration, impotence, etc. Watermelon is a good source of thiamin, potassium and magnesium which protect our body from so many diseases. Can the same be said of Twinkies? I'll let you answer that. A cup of watermelon is only 50 calories.
Craving something salty? This can be tricky, to be honest and I don't really have it down. I love salt. When the cravings are bad, however, I add a bit of salt to a fresh food. Sometimes I add salt to my watermelon. Sometimes I grab a handful of salted peanuts or almonds (watch the fat and calories!). The hardest trick here is to keep an eye on sodium. It's recommended that we stay below 2000 mg of sodium a day. Fruits and vegetables, because they are natural, raw foods, comply to this (as opposed to those Baked Lays), but rarely satisfy that salty craving alone. I've switched to sea salt from a grinder in order to mitigate the damages of this vice. This article touts the benefits of salt, but I am a bit skeptical (and now a little freaked out about my sea salt!).
Craving something cool? Grab fresh fruit or veggies from the fridge! There is nutritional value in most fresh foods, but add in a cooler temp and it's a great way to beat the heat. Blend it with ice and you're doing even better!
I started this endeavor making , but as I've grown (smaller) and learned so much more about nutrition, I am very pleased with the natural evolution. Also, I think it's a good path of discovery for others to take. Learn about the foods you are eating. See if they ADD to your diet, or merely substitute. And, as busy people, we can all use Nutritional Multi-tasking, right?
Heil Health!
The salt article is interesting...now i'm wondering if the salt you sent me is really sea salt or not...Paula Dean wouldn't lie, right?
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly agree with your stance in this article. For awhile now, I have done my best to stay away from fat-free and low-fat snacks for fear of all the chemicals and crap they have packed into them in the place of the fat. Plus watermelon is just so damn delicious and satisfying...and filling! Great post!
You are a Food Nazi! But that's what works for you, so that's okay :)
ReplyDeleteI have a different issue...I have never had to try to add fruits and veggies to my diet because that's a huge part of what I eat already. But that's generally all I eat, veggies and carbs. My favorite dinner is grapes, crackers and a little bit of cheese. The things I need to do are watch my portions, watch my snacking and add protein to my diet. I'm working on those...and its seems to be working since I'm 2 lbs down this week...yey!
I just have a couple things to add to that article about salt (what's with the weird water website?). Regular table salt also contains iodine which is necessary for your thyroid, so make sure you get a least a little table salt. Also, if you are sweating a lot (and anyone that is working out outside this summer is sweating, A LOT) you probably don't need to watch your salt consumption that much.
Good points, Renee! I don't actually have table salt in the house, but I eat a lot of seafood and that is "naturally rich" in iodine (Lindsy, kelp - seaweed - is a good source of it, too).
ReplyDeleteRenee, are you much of a bean eater? I've been experimenting with beans lately. Do you like cottage cheese? In the summer time, one of my favorite lunches is cottage cheese with salt and pepper and sliced veggies.
As for snacking, that is exactly why I avoid foods that don't apply to my Nutritional Multi-tasking idea. If it's going in my mouth, it better do more than satisfy a momentary craving, you know?
As for working out in the heat - there is an extreme that I learned from the long-distance runners. Swallow salt pills. Since I have a sensitivity to heat (that I've had since I was a kid), I bought some after the ultra run. I used them Sunday when I was working in the sun for 12 hours and felt they really helped.